A couple of quick hitters because I'm running late: 1. Jason Segal's performance has been widely praised, but I kept thinking to myself "that's Jason Segal trying to be DFW" and not "that's DFW". I feel like that's gonna be a problem because I don't think I'm gonna stop thinking that to myself when I see the film. 2. That could be because Jason Segall is just a physically bigger guy than Wallace*, and that sort of thing annoys me. I feel like the actor being a great physical fit is almost more important than him being able to act. Also, it seems like Segal's Wallace is leaning a bit more towards "hippy stoner guy" than, you know, David Foster Wallace. 3. To be fair, it's just a two and a half minute trailer. To be critical, I totally trust my first judgment on such things. To be honest, I'm gonna watch it either way. 4. And it does kinda seem like it will be good even if I'm not yet convinced Segal is totally nailing Wallace.* 5. I don't know if Jesse Eisenberg has the most punchable face in the entire world, but I can confidently state that it's at least top ten. I'm gonna be thinking all day about how much I wanna punch his face. *Wallace wasn't a small guy, but Segal is actually a really big guy. **yeah yeah [video=youtube;DBk1Mrb4RyM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBk1Mrb4RyM[/video]
Agreed. I think you nailed the major reasons for this in the physical difference and the "hippy stoner" vibe in the trailer. I really hope the latter is due to limited content. Yes, that trailer offered potential and I definitely want to see it. A solid performance here could be career changing for Segal; hopefully the early praise is legit. Thanks for sharing.
Sharing DFW stuff is my pleasure. I forgot to mention that my first thoughts on seeing that this movie was coming out, but before seeing the trailer and only seeing the name Jesse Eisenberg, was "Dear God don't tell me they have Jesse Eisenberg playing DFW." I was quite relieved to see that wasn't the case. That might have ruined my entire day.
